Another figure on the lid of one of the urns containing the ashes of the deceased.
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Soprintendenza Archeologia dell'Umbria
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Ancient Water Basin Found in Rome: Photos
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Italian archaeologists have unearthed the largest Roman water basin ever found, right in the heart of modern Rome. Lined with hydraulic plaster, the massive basin was found some 65 feet down near St. John in Lateran Basilica during the excavation of the new metro C line.
Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma
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As shown in this reconstruction, the water basin was impressive. It measured 115 by 230 feet and could hold more than 1 million gallons of water.
Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma
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The archaeologists unearthed a road that led to a 3rd-century B.C farm.
Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma
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In the first century A.D., the basin was added to existing structures, such as water wheels, used to lift and distribute the water, as shown in this reconstruction. The basin most likely served as a water reservoir for crops as well as an area that made it possible to cope with overflows from the nearby river.
Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma
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The all-woman team of archaeologists led by Rossella Rea found the exact spot where the water wheel was allocated.
Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma
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The excavation also brought to light various agricultural items, such as a three-pronged iron pitchfork, and remains of storage baskets made from braided willow branches.
Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma
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Lined up jars with their ends cut open were recycled as water conduits.
Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma
View Caption + #8: Used tiles were recycled to make water canals.
Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma
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The tiles were inscribed with the encircled initials "TL" -- evidence that the farm belonged to a single owner.
Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma
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The farm was obliterated at the end of the first century A.D., its structures, including the water basin, demolished and buried.
Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma
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“Unfortunately a collapse which occurred in antiquity damaged the plaster. The inscription is now lost in thousand of fragments. Piecing them together won’t be an easy task,” Natalini said.
Despite the damage, the 2,300-year-old painted coffin, which weights 3 tons and is more than 8 foot long, is still sealed.
“We expect to find another skeleton inside,” Natalini said.
A mysterious marble head, clearly broken at the neck level, has been also found.
“It portrays the beautiful face of a young man. We do not know yet its meaning. Perhaps it was part of a statue that honored one of the deceased,” Natalini said.
Apart from grave goods, which include pottery, miniature votive vases and two intact ceramic jars, likely used to store food for the afterlife, the archaeologists found four urns with cremains.
Made from fine grained alabaster marble, three of them are finely sculpted. The lid portrays the half naked deceased with a flower necklace reclining on two cushions as if at a banquet. He bears a patera, a shallow ritual offering dish, in the right hand.
The use of alabaster marble, the style of the burial and clues from the inscriptions suggest the burial belongs to an aristocratic family from the nearby Etruscan stronghold of Chiusi, Natalini said.
“We will do our best to display the tomb’s content to the public in a close future,” culture council Carmine Pugliese told reporters.
The sarcophagi and the other grave goods have now been moved to a museum in Città della Pieve in order to conduct restoration and further study.